


Road Long Traveled

by Seer_of_Soul



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: M/M, Protective Zack Fair, Slice of Clack, Zack Fair Lives, dissidia au, painful emotions, zack deserves so many naps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25520761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: Slice of Clack: Journey - Dissidia
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Road Long Traveled

**Author's Note:**

> Slice of Clack: Journey - Dissidia

What ever the hell happened, it had knocked the wind out of him. Zack coughed, curling in on himself as he struggled to breathe. He didn’t remember where he was, or what had happened. All he remembered was the dull pain spattered across his chest, the massive pressure in the side of his head, and the searing lack in his lungs.

It took a few moments for him to catch his breath, and a few more to uncurl himself. When he blinked, looking up, he realized he had no idea where he was, but it was certainly no where near Midgar. 

Giant planes of crystal, covered in a flowing layer of water, stretched out before him. Large crystal formations dotted the planes. Zack found that he was laying on one, which was the only reason he hadn’t drowned himself while trying to breathe again. Zack rubbed the dull pain on his chest absently, blinking curiously when he found that his shirt was all torn up and covered in dried blood. 

It took a minute for the memories to come snapping back into place. Shinra, Hojo, escaping, Midgar, Cloud. Zack shot to his feet, looking around wildly for Cloud. But, of course, he didn’t see him. Zack sagged, sliding down to sit of the edge of the crystal. Was this the afterlife? Then it was good that Cloud wasn’t here. Unless he was somewhere else, or slowly dying out in the wastelands….

Zack clutched his head, feeling like he wanted to scream. But a year’s worth of panic filled stealth and forced silence kept the scream caught in his throat, bubbling like a boiling pot, ready to burst. Zack bit his lip, tasting blood. He forced himself to breath as blood ran down his lip and dripped off his chin. 

A drop of blood splashed into the water spread out over the crystal. Zack watched in mild horror as the blood didn’t seem to dissipate, but coalesce, growing bigger. In under a minute, a crystalline mirror of him formed out of the water, raising its head to stare blankly as Zack. 

If this was the afterlife, it fucking sucked.

~

Zack gasped and panted, pausing a moment to rest with his hands on his knees. Those crystal people were relentless. He had no idea what they were, but there seemed to be no end to them. They took a lot of different forms, some just looking downright strange. They all fought differently and it was a struggle to keep up with them. 

A sound from behind him snapped him into movement. Zack’s sword was in his hand in an instant and he whirled. 

The clang of steel against steel made him pause. The crystal people didn’t make sounds like that. A familiar figure, though in full color instead of glowing monotone, stood before him, his sword locked with the Buster. 

“My apologies,” the white-haired man said in a strong, yet lilting voice. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Zack slowly realized he’d nearly taken this person’s head off. “S-sorry…,” he breathed, stepping backwards. His arms ached as he kept the Buster aloft. 

The white-haired man smiled softly, sheathing his own blade in a very significant show of trust. “No lasting harm done; though you do have quite the strong arm; I must say I’m a little jealous of your swing.” He smiled in a friendly way, touching his hand to his chest and giving a little bow. “My name is Cecil.”

“Zack Fair,” Zack responded. It felt surreal, having someone actually talk to him. The crystal people didn’t talk, barely made any sound at all, and Cloud hadn’t- “I- I’m looking for someone,” Zack forced himself to say. 

Cecil blinked, tilting his head. “Then, perhaps we should rejoin the others. Given the way the mannikins act around you, I’d say you’re on our side.” He turned in a seemingly random direction and started walking. He waved a hand over his shoulder, beckoning for Zack to follow, “This way.”

Zack figured he had no better ideas. So he followed. 

Cecil led him to a strange looking swirling thing. Through it, Zack could see what looked like a half-hazard campsite. It was nothing like the rows and roads of a Shinra camp. It looked more like the layout of the Midgar Undercity. Zack looked warily at Cecil, who gave him an encouraging nod and stepped through. 

Zack forced himself to do the same.

The other side of the swirling thing smelled different. It smelled like rich earth and budding plant life. It smelled like Aerith. Zack’s legs felt shaky underneath him. He felt like he was going to collapse any moment now. The running, the fighting, he had no idea how long he’d been doing more of the same in this place on top of the months and months he’d been running with Cloud. 

It felt infinitely harder without Cloud here. Cloud was his motivation, his stability, the reason he forced himself up so early and didn’t rest until so late. Zack wasn’t sure he’d even chanced the escape if it hadn’t been for Cloud. He thought he might have fallen into a Mako Coma himself, if he hadn’t stayed focused on Cloud.

Cecil was saying something. He stood a few steps away, looking back at Zack. He said something that might have been a question. But Zack couldn’t hear it. He swayed on the spot, or maybe the ground was swinging underneath him. He saw something appear at the edge of the tents. 

He knew he should stay alert. This could be a trap. It had to be a trap. He had to… keep going… be ready to run… ready to fight. Green tinged his vision as he forced himself into a mako supported overdrive. He’d done that so often before, when he had to fight his way through something and carry Cloud through the night. Zack’s hand rose towards Buster’s hilt, a warning growl rose in his throat. 

Cecil took a surprised step backwards, his hand drifting towards his own sword. But the figure at the edge of the tents, a dark blur of black except for a bright smudge on their head, called out a warning. 

The man in armor stepped back, his hand no longer quite to ready. The man in black was more of a threat. He was walking quickly towards him, though he hadn’t drawn a weapon. Zack gave another growl of warning, feeling both mako and adrenaline running through his bloodstream. But as the man in black came closer, he felt something familiar.

“Zack.” A voice cut through the mako haze. Zack felt like it had cut through him as well. His arms shook. His legs shook. His eyes stung. The thing he had wanted for so long, wished for, prayed for, finally… here he was. 

The fog faded from his mind and his eyes, and Zack found himself staring down at Cloud, alive, awake. He was alive. He was awake. Zack didn’t mean to, but his hand fell from the Buster Sword’s hilt, so gingerly brushing against Cloud’s cheek. Zack was so careful. He touched Cloud like he might have been made of mist, destroyed by the slightest bit of force. 

_And Cloud smiled._

Cloud smiled up at him with such warmth and such _life_ , Zack felt like the world had shattered under his feet. He breathed in, feeling like it had was the first time he could actually breath in years, feeling it rattle down his throat. 

“Cloud…,” he breathed. He felt hot tears burn his cheeks as they rolled down them. He felt shattered. 

Then, his knees gave out. Cloud caught him in his arms, taking a deep breath himself. “It’s okay Zack…. You can rest now.”

It had been a long, hard, painful road from the reactor in Nibbleheim to here, where ever here was. But as Cloud sunk down to the ground, hugging Zack so so tightly, Zack felt like it had been a road worth living through.

**Author's Note:**

> Imma be honest... I kinda rushed this. It's not as full or polished as I wanted, (and I totally procrastinated _again_ ) so, I may rewrite this later. ? I'm not sure if I'd do it as an edit to this story or as a separate story altogether, depends I guess, though I'm leaning towards the latter. 
> 
> But I do feel pretty good about how it turned out, l do like it. This has been an idea I've had bouncing around for a while, so here it is. 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thanks for reading. :)


End file.
